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Cardiff City news as Erol Bulut rips up Portugal pre-season plans and immediately makes mark

Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Tuesday, June 6.

Bulut rips up pre-season plans

Erol Bulut has already started to make his mark on Cardiff after it was revealed he tore up the club's pre-season plans and wants to re-work it to fit with his own idea of what the trip should be.

As time ticked on this summer, supporters were eager to find out where the club would be heading on pre-season and indeed what fixtures they had lined up.

Well, Bulut has come in and had some ideas of his own, with the new boss insisting he looks at the plans and tries to revise them before they head off to the Algarve in the coming weeks.

READ MORE: Cardiff City chairman tells fans 'exciting' signing is on the way and predicts season ticket sales will skyrocket

"Well, I thought we could (say something about pre-season plans), but Erol just tore it all up! We have to start all over again," chairman Mehmet Dalman said.

"We can say we have Portugal lined up. Portugal is done - the Algarve. But Erol has already ripped it up. He wants to look at it and re-plan it and we will do that."

Greek midfielder linked

Cardiff City have been linked with a move for Trabzonspor midfielder Anastasios Bakasetas just days after Erol Bulut was announced as Bluebirds boss.

The Turkish manager said on Monday the club were hoping to bring in anywhere from eight to 10 players this summer as they look to revamp the squad and start plotting their way up the table.

Bulut said he had good contacts in Turkey and indeed across Europe, having recruited players from nearby countries such as Greece during his managerial stints on the continent.

Indeed, he signed Bakasetas from AEK Athens while he was managing Alanyaspor in 2019. The attacking midfielder and Greece international earned a move to Trabzonspor in 2021 and has posted some pretty impressive numbers since then - scoring 28 times and providing 21 assists in 103 games as a midfielder.

And now Turkish sports newspaper Fotospor report that Bulut is keen on bringing Bakasetas to the Welsh capital.

Bulut said on Monday in his unveiling that Cardiff "must invest in the attack and the midfield" and Bakasetas, who has 11 goals in 55 caps for Greece, ticks both of those boxes, no doubt.

However, the major snag is that the 29-year-old has one year remaining on his Trabzonspor contract and Fotospor claim they will not part with the player for any less than €7.5million (£6.5m). So, less of a snag, more a huge roadblock.

Wales U21s boss: It's a privilege to have Colwill

Wales under-21s boss Matt Jones has spoken highly of Cardiff youngster Rubin Colwill ahead of their Euros opener against Denmark this month.

Colwill, who went to the World Cup with the senior squad, of course, has featured prominently in Rob Page's plans in recent years, but a season plagued with injuries has really hampered the playmaker's progress.

As a result, the 21-year-old has been brought back down into the age-grade squad this month. But Jones said he has thrived in that environment.

“It's the right time to support him,” explained Jones. “March was an excellent chance to integrate him into the group and for him to showcase those role model behaviours he has learned from the senior environment and being involved with the Euro finals and the World Cup. There was a lot of story-telling around that and he embraced his opportunity. He was fantastic.

"I didn't envisage him being with us that long, but unfortunately Rubin has had some niggles and we have to support him. I feel privileged to have someone like Rubin in the squad, and hopefully it will allow him to build up his fitness. It's a cultural change for us, and we want players to feel it's normal to play in your own age group.”

Blackburn to consider offers for left back

Blackburn Rovers will consider offers for left-back Tayo Edun with Cardiff City keeping tabs of the situation.

The Bluebirds went in for Edun on deadline day in January, but a loan move was blocked. It is understood Cardiff continue to monitor the player as we head into the summer window.

He is not out of contract, but is behind Harry Pickering in the pecking order at Ewood Park and, according to the Lancashire Telegraph, he could be allowed to leave on loan or even permanently this summer.

"Pickering is expected to continue as first-choice left back next season, with Rovers likely to consider offers for Tayo Edun who has failed to displace him since his arrival for around £400,000 in the summer of 2021," the Lancashire Telegraph report.

"Rovers will consider a move for a left back should Edun move on, either permanently or on loan."

Cardiff expect Jamilu Collins to be back fit for the start of the season, while Callum O'Dowda and Joe Ralls have both played there in the last year. Joel Bagan is out of contract but there is still a discussion to be had over whether he will stay following the appointment of Bulut.

READ NEXT

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